The present invention relates to a method of folding an air bag for a vehicle occupant restraint system.
Air bags have been used for some time to provide impact protection to occupants of passenger vehicles. The air bags are often stored in the dashboard or steering wheel of the vehicle with restricted space for the placement of the air bag. In the event of an accident, the air bag is inflated. The characteristics of the air bag""s deployment are determined by the method of folding the air bag.
A conventional air bag fold consists of two accordian or back folded halves that are then folded into each other. This conventional method of folding an air bag creates a thick air bag. Other methods of folding air bags have been developed over the years. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,915, Magoteaux discloses a method of folding an air bag placed in a square configuration comprising repetitive folding of the four corners inward.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of folding an air bag. Another object is to provide a method of folding an airbag to reduce the width and thickness of the pack area. A further object is to provide a method of folding an air bag that has minimal dimensional variation from bag pack to bag pack.
The method of folding an air bag in accordance with this invention consists of providing an air bag in a substantially square configuration, folding four corners of the air bag toward the center of the airbag, folding a left corner toward the center of the air bag, folding a right corner toward the center of the air bag. And folding the lower and upper corners of the air bag, respectively, toward the center of the air bag.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.